One Piece Chapter 1178: WAKING FROM A NIGHTMARE

Almost immediately, Imu attempts to turn Luffy and Loki against each other, however it has no effect, perhaps Imu is spread too thin, or perhaps it’s something to do with Supreme King Haki. There’s nothing stronger than an unbending will in the world of One Piece. Luffy is apparently frustrated with Loki for finishing the fight with his strongest attack as soon as possible. This certainly isn’t a strategy we see often in the series, as it comes with its own drawbacks, leaving oneself vulnerable for whatever is to come next. It seems like being a dragon puts a lot of stress on Loki’s body as is. I think one of the main things to note in this chapter, is that it seems that Imu does indeed just look like that, or indeed, that Imu’s powers present that way. Which is something I’ve been feeling for a while. The ending stinger gives me more to discuss, but we’ll get there when we get there.

Loki has been able to freeze Imu’s aura in a block of ice, though over the course of the chapter he is able to reform back in the Holy Land. Potentially this will leave Gunko behind on Elbaph. Killingham’s head has been left behind, and he seems aware his master has left the island. Sommers is slowly putting himself back together, his head and his heart flopping around on the floor in a gruesome manner. We know roughly the mechanics of Imu’s magic circles, and those three can either leave by themselves or be summoned back to the Holy Land depending on their master’s wishes.

One particularly interesting thing being developed over this and last week is Chopper’s effect over the Domi Reversi’d Giants. He is able to purify them with a single blow. I did make note of this last time, Zoro posits that it’s due to Chopper just being a brilliant doctor, which got a chuckle out of me. My current running theory has something to do with Chopper’s Devil Fruit. The Human-Human Fruits throughout the series have all had some godlike connections, Sengoku’s Buddha, Onimaru’s Ony?do (a Monk Yokai) and Luffy’s Nika. I think it would track that Chopper’s fruit, perhaps through awakening, has some kind of purifying property. Chopper’s supernatural “human-ness” gives him a unique strength against the demonic.

The demonic possession is coming to an end across the island, and each of the Holy Knights are (mostly) incapacitated. Franky is careful to note that only 3 Holy Knights were able to wreak absolute destruction over Elbaph. We don’t know how large of a group the Holy Knights are, but I think it’s fair to assume there’s one representative for each of the affiliated families, and Shamrock will be an overwhelmingly powerful force, if his brother is anything to go by. I’m not sure who else Oda has up his sleeve, but I’m sure they will make a big impact. This is just the beginning for the Holy Knights. As we shift to Robin and Saul, we learn the library books have all gone missing without a trace. Whether this is foul play or a helping hand remains to be seen.

Finally, the ending of the chapter. Imu has returned to the Holy Land, and announced he has business elsewhere… In person. Whether he means Elbaph or somewhere else is definitely what Oda wants us to ruminate over until next time. It helps to expect the unexpected choice with One Piece, I’ll refrain from speculating too much though I think we may be surprised, as the main threads of the Elbaph conflict do seem to be drawing to a close. Something else I noticed is that the Holy Land is looking a little worse-for-wear, with the foreground of the establishing shot showing a demolished building, most likely from the conflict with the Revolutionary Army. Now that big question… Does Imu have a true form? Or are they a formless creature of darkness? I err towards the latter, especially after this chapter. Knowing Oda, I don’t think we’ll get our answers next week, but as always I’m exceptionally excited for the future.